Like a seam of coal, that mineral she knows so well, Kiki DeLancey is a valuable find, and a rare one as well: the self-taught writer who seems to have sprung fully formed out of nowhere. In the pages ofCoal Miner's Holiday(mining jargon for a forced layoff), DeLancey introduces us to the culture and characters of coal-mining towns bordering the Ohio River. Though she has a B.A. in political science and English, DeLancey never took a writing course, never had a writing mentor. She learned to write by reading such masters as William Faulkner and Sherwood Anderson, then writing, and rewriting her own stories. And DeLancey is, first and foremost, a storyteller. She tells the stories of unseen American immigrants-Polish, Greek, Irish, and others-who worked under the earth, in the dark and dangerous heart of the heart of the country. The result is a revelatory new voice in American fiction. Marketing Plans: Author tour in Northeast (New York City, Boston) and areas of Kentucky and Ohio National radio campaign Newsletter, brochure, catalog, and postcard mailings Advertisements in key literary and trade magazines Reader copies available to booksellers through participation in Book Sense Advance Access Program Born Kiki Nicolozakes,Kiki DeLanceywas brought up with close ties to the Greek community, with four grandparents from the island of Crete. DeLancey spent fifteen years in the coal industry, beginning as a permit clerk and finally, as Executive V.P. of Marietta Coal Company. Her stories have been published in literary magazines since 1987. She still lives where she was born and raised, in Cambridge, Ohio, now with her husband and children, where she works part-time as an investment manager, and is at work on a new collection of stories and a novel.